Education Grantees 2010

Asia Society. New
York, NY
Explore Asia: Art and Japan Today Family Series on Yoshitomo Nara and Manga
Project Director: Michael Roberts
$5,000
In conjunction with the major Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool exhibition at Asia
Society Museum on view Sept 2, 2010-January 2, 2011, Explore Asia: Art and
Japan Today presents a series of 8 youth and family-oriented hands-on programs
that explore and enrich understanding of Japanese art and culture. With seven
art-making workshops, each following a tour of the Nara exhibition and one day
of a manga workshop following an animated Japanese film, NYC public school
students and families in the community use paint, collage and other media to
create their own works of art inspired by leading Japanese artists of today.

Denver Art Museum. Denver, CO
Japanese Art on Creativity Resource
Project Director: Chiara Robinson
$5,000
"Japanese Art on Creativity Resource"
allows the Denver Art Museum to add eight art objects from the Japanese
permanent collection to their Creativity Resource website, including
accompanying lesson plans, object information, and high-quality images.
The museum engages schools in three Colorado districts that include Japan in
their cultural studies curriculum with development of online resources and will
conduct a teacher workshop for 200 teachers from the three districts.

Elon
University. Elon, NC
Origami as a Gateway for the study of Japanese
Culture and Society
Project Director: Alan Russell
$2,519
Elon University will provide professional
development for teachers at a rural North Carolina school using traditional
Japanese paper folding as an entry point for study. That training will then be
utilized to impact students' and parents' knowledge of Japanese culture and
society during a day of school devoted to the topic.

Friends of Middleton Public Library. Middleton, WI
Middleton Community Origami Mural Project
Project Director: Pauline Harrop
$5,000
The promotion of global awareness is one
objective in the Middleton Public Library's long-range plans with a focus on
Japan. As a community building event, all ages and all backgrounds were
welcome to become artists as they share a fun-filled, educational experience
creating a permanent art piece they can see and be proud of for many years.
Working on the origami mural as a community allows visitors a free and creative
opportunity to create a unique work of art that may also pique collective
curiosity in the culture of Japan.

Honolulu Festival Foundation. Honolulu, HI
Pacific Harmony: We Are All Neighbors, Around
the World
Project Director: Masakazu Asanuma
$4,416
The 17th annual Honolulu Festival focuses on the
sharing of cultures and traditions from four indigenous populations--the Ainu
of Japan, Alaska's Native People, Aborigines from Australia, and the Native
Hawaiians of Hawaii. Last year, UNESCO registered the Ainu traditional dance as
an "intangible cultural heritage", in recognition of its historical
and cultural significance not only to the people of Japan, but to the broader
international community as well. The sharing of culture and traditions promotes
mutual understanding, harmony, and respect.

International
Education Consortium. St Louis, MO
Japan in the Classroom: Professional Development
for St. Louis Teachers
Project Director: Sheila Onuska
$4,991
The International Education Consortium designed a series of four free workshops for teachers
interested in updating and increasing their knowledge of Japan. The sessions
feature film, curriculum and resources, anime and manga, and contemporary life
in Japan with an emphasis on content that can move into the classroom. There
have been no similar programs offered in the IEC since 2004.

Japan American Society of Greater
Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA
Tamagawa University Taiko Drum and Dance Group
Performances
Project Director: Aaron Dilliplane
$2,500
This project brings the Tamagawa University
Taiko Drum and Dance group to Philadelphia region for a week-long tour with the
aim to entertain as well as increase the interest in Japanese culture in this
region. Furthermore, the bond between the countries is strengthened by the interaction
of the young people from Tamagawa with the students from area high schools and
colleges where they will perform.

Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh Taiko: Dynamic Japanese Drumming for
Students
Project Director: Katsuko Shellhammer
$5,000
The Pittsburgh Taiko- Dynamic Japanese Drumming
for Students program will foster interest in Japanese culture by reaching out
to regional educators in two ways. First, it will provide free tickets for
Japanese language teachers and students to attend a Kenny Endo Taiko Concert
and workshop Nov. 6, 2010. Secondly, in order to reach uncultivated audiences
and widen educational outreach, the JASP will contact regional music educators
with the opportunity to host Pittsburgh Taiko at their school during the year.
During the school visit, Pittsburgh Taiko will perform and hold a hands-on
workshop which includes a tutorial for teachers to make taiko drums out of
everyday materials.

Japan Day, Inc. New York, NY
Share the World in NY
Project Director: Mayuha Kunisue
$4,910
Share the World in NY provides New York students
with an opportunity to know, learn, and experience Japanese culture through
interaction with other collaborators. Several groups of high school students in
Manhattan will work with Japanese choral groups and
students from a Japanese high school to learn how to perform in both Japanese
and English. By collaborating with one another, students are able to learn
about each others' cultural heritage and develop lasting friendships.

Japanese Cultural Center, Tea House & Gardens of
Saginaw. Saginaw, MI
Japan Festival of Saginaw
Project Director: Yoko Mossner
$1,500
Each performance at the Japanese Festival of
Saginaw teaches viewers a new aspect of traditional Japanese culture.
Participants will enjoy interactive learning demonstrations in shodo
(calligraphy), children's games, origami and ikebana (flower arranging). The
ceremony opens with a lecture on the 400 year history of the Urasenke school,
and also features an organizational tent with digital presentations and an oral
history of the construction of the Saginaw tea house.

Lawrence Arts Center. Lawrence, KS
Re/Collections: Roger Shimomura and the Japanese
Internment Camp
Project Director: Susan Tate
$4,113
Re/Collections explores the cultural and
artistic legacy of Roger Shimomura, giving an in-depth look into the personal
and national history that shaped his career. It is a contemporary examination
of the "other" during war and peace time that guides exhibit visitors and
audience members to a deeper understanding of the issues facing Japanese
Americans during World War II. The exhibit examines Japanese traditions that
served as the foundation of the spirit of survival during internment and the
complex issues of identity that racial and ethnic minorities faced during the
20th century. Visitors to the exhibit will learn about the meanings given to
personal objects and the connections to history they provide, and how history
reverberates throughout our lives today.

Marquis Studios. New York, NY
Japanese Arts and Culture Project
Project Director: Maxine Montilus
$5,000
Marquis Studios will provide the students and
families of Staten Island's PS 45, a school with a diverse student body in a
borough with virtually no exposure to authentic Japanese culture, with 10
sessions of Taiko, 3 of Origami and a session on the art of Bunraku
(traditional Japanese puppetry). At the culminating event for the entire school
and 3rd grade parents, there will be a display
of student created origami as well as a Taiko performance. Each day's lesson
emphasizes a better understanding of the culture, history and geography of
Japan. Students also will learn a new phrase or word of Japanese each week.

Memphis Botanic Garden. Memphis, TN
Celebrate Japan: School Day and Family Festival
Project Director: Gina Harris
$4,500
This event is a celebration of many of the
traditions of the Japanese culture. Over 500 students will participate in
activities such as Haiku writing, Japanese Calligraphy, Origami Art, Tea
Ceremony, Leaf Pounding, Koi Windsocks and Taiko Drumming. These students will
also learn the history of Memphis' Japanese Garden and hear classic Japanese
folktales. Additional events continue the theme of celebrating Japan's
interesting history, including demonstrations and workshops from local
organizations specializing in Bonsai, Ikebana, Tea Ceremony, Kimono, and the
creation of Koi Ponds.

Northeast
Council of Teachers of Japanese. New York, NY
Harumatsuri, "Spring Festival"
Project Directors: Ayako Takeda and Masayo
Ohyama
$1,000
The purpose of the NECTJ Harumatsuri is to help
students understand Japanese language and culture with real interactive
cultural exchange and provide a community-based learning environment. Hosted by the United Nations International
School, the day-long event includes an introduction by a Japanese diplomat, a
performance by an artist, a chance to visit over 40 interactive booths by
students, and an awards ceremony honoring the results of a speech contest. The
festival will reach over 400 students of Japanese language and culture, and
involves at least 100 Japanese volunteers and 50 Japanese heritage speakers.

One to World. New York, NY
Passport to Japan
Project Director: Samara Hoyer Winfield
$2,533
One to World's "Passport to Japan"
program brings Japan into the classrooms of underprivileged children, exposing
them to Japanese culture, history, and geography. Using Japanese students studying
in New York as "Global Guides", New Yorkers interact face-to-face
with international peers, fostering meaningful cultural exchange and dialogue.
This program seeks to break down stereotypes and misconceptions, while building
up understanding and knowledge of Japanese culture. Many of these students do
not have the financial means to travel to Japan. However, One to World's
"Passport to Japan" program affords them the unique opportunity to
experience Japanese culture in person.

Orchestra
Insonica. New York, NY
Introducing Japanese Film Composers and Anime
Music in Performance
Project Director: Sean Kubota
$1,700
This project is Insonica's second educational
concert with The Masters School Orchestra. It seeks to introduce live
orchestral music to a variety of members of the community while simultaneously
introducing Japanese culture through playing Japanese film composers' highly
acclaimed works. The educational concert showcases Japanese anime film music,
including pieces from My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Spirited Away, Evangelion, and
Lupin, and will be performed jointly with the
high school orchestra. The performance will be accompanied by anime clips and
hosted by a comedian introducing each piece, instrument and film.

Portland Taiko. Portland, OR
New Residency Programs in Rural Oregon
Project Director: Michael Griggs
$4,791
With this project, Portland Taiko is able to
provide new residency programs to rural Oregon communities underserved by the
arts. Portland Taiko will hold performances and participatory residencies based
on the Japanese art of Taiko, working with K-12 schools and community based programs
in four areas to increase awareness and appreciation of Japanese arts and
culture.

Rhode
Island School of Design (RISD). Providence, RI
Illuminated Rice Paper Installation
Project Director: Aki Ishida
$4,940
Art students from RISD educate the public about
the nature of light and shadow in Japanese architecture while engaging people
of all ages and backgrounds in the fabrication of a Japan-inspired art
installation. Participants form personal connections by writing messages to
survivors of the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami that devastated Japan. In
addition to providing solace to Japan during an unthinkably difficult time, the
project gives New Yorkers the chance to create a moving work of art. The
project raises awareness of the adaptability of traditional Japanese space and
aesthetics in a contemporary environment and forms a partnership between two
highly respected cultural and educational institutions committed to the making
and promotion of art and culture in the United States.

Saeko
Ichinohe Dance Company. New York, NY
Free Performance for Youth Program August 2010
Project Director: Saeko Ichinohe
$2,000
Believing the arts to be vital for a full life,
Saeko Ichinohe Dance Company will present a free dance program to various
community organizations IN New York. Their unique program combines dance
inspired by Japanese traditions with audience participation in aspects of
Japanese culture with the aim of introducing Japanese culture to American young
generations through dance.

University of Findlay. Findlay, OH
Japanese Oral Tradition in Ohio and Michigan
Project Director: Hiroaki Kawamura
$5,000
This project introduces Japanese oral tradition
to people in Ohio and Michigan, including Japanese students at the Japanese
school of Toledo, Japanese language learners in high school and universities,
other university students, and the general public. Three artists invited from
Japan will perform and offer workshops both in Japanese and English. Audience
members and workshop participants will learn about the oral traditions of
Rakugo and Katsuben (Katsudo benshi). Workshops assume special significance as
they provide the audience direct interaction with international performers.

University of Texas San Antonio. San Antonio, TX
"Access to Japan" Series
Project Director: Mimi Yu
$3,080
The "Access to Japan" series
introduces Japanese culture, including art, craft, customs, holidays, language,
music, calligraphy, ink wash painting, society, tea ceremony and flower
arrangement through a series of lecture, mini lessons and interactive
activities. The events will be held at the Institute of Texan Cultures where
the "World Heritage Photo Panels from Japan: Two Thousand Years of Legacies"
photography exhibition took place from January 15th to March 13, 2011.

Wake Forest University. Winston-Salem, NC
Promoting Japan Through Bunraku
Project Director: Yasuko Takata Rallings
$4,791
"Promoting Japan through Bunraku"
increases awareness of Japanese culture in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and
the surrounding communities with a series of school visits by a Japanese puppet
theater group. Wake Forest University collaborates with Bunraku Bay, a puppetry
arts organization, to introduce Japanese theater arts to students and teachers
while increasing their knowledge of Japan. A bunraku performance at the Asian
Spring Festival on the Wake Forest University campus, open to the public as
well as to the campus community, will attract a broader audience from
surrounding communities.

Wake Forest University, Museum of Anthropology. Winston-Salem, NC
Samurai and Kimonos: Japanese Culture
Project Director: Stephen Whittington
$2,350
In this project, the Museum of Anthropology at
Wake Forest University offers three one-week sessions of its summer camp,
"Samurai and Kimonos: Japanese Culture". The camp program
exposes children to the historical and modern culture of Japan using lessons,
demonstrations, music, food, arts, and activities to teach children about a
culture with a long history.

Western Michigan University. Kalamazoo, MI
Hands-on Manga: Bringing Manga to Michigan
Project Director: Michiko Yoshimoto
$4,530
Western Michigan University will bring Konohana
Sakuya (Mr. Kohei Nishino and Mrs. Tsugumi Nishino) to the West Michigan area
for a week-long intensive series of manga workshops conducted in the local
community and on campus. This represents an unprecedented opportunity to use
one of Japan's most popular cultural exports as an avenue to introduce Japan
and Japanese culture to the citizens of West Michigan. It also serves to
stimulate interest in Japan programming offered at WMU and the local arts
community.

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Dallas, TX
Portrait of Japan: A Workshop for Teachers
Project Director: Jennifer Bowden
$4,850
The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
will train 50 teachers in an exciting educational workshop, impacting over
7,500 DFW students. They call upon representatives of the local Japanese
-American community to share their knowledge and experiences and reached out to
teachers from under-served schools. Educators will share their learning with
other teachers to maximize the program's impact and increase cultural
appreciation for and comprehension of Japan.